New York,
NY (January
12,
2006) --
Comedian and talk show host Jay Leno has selected second grader Kelly Sandoval from Santa Fe, NM, and sixth grader Travis Temple from Indianapolis, IN, as grand-prize winners in Jay Leno’s How to Be the Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World Contest, a joke contest sponsored by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Scholastic Book Clubs. The two winning elementary school students will receive all-expenses paid trips to Los Angeles for themselves and a guardian to take an exclusive backstage tour of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” In addition, each winner’s classroom will receive a phone call from Jay Leno, as well as a classroom library of humorous books.
Jay Leno’s How to Be the Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World Contest was created by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing and media company, to inspire kids to explore their funny side. Students in Scholastic Lucky® Book Club (grades 2-3) and Arrow® Book Club (grades 4-6) were asked to send in their funniest original jokes.
Kelly Sandoval, a second grader at Wood-Gormley Elementary School in Santa Fe, NM, enjoys telling jokes and making people laugh. The seven-year-old, who loves books and is an avid reader, submitted the joke: “Why was the broom late for work? It over swept!”
Travis Temple, a sixth grader at Southport 6th Grade Academy in Indianapolis, IN, is a big Jay Leno fan and has “always been a clown,” says his mother Darla. His hobbies include art, cartoons and baseball. Travis’s trip to Los Angeles will be his first trip out of State. His winning joke is “Why won’t people let elephants in(to) the pool? Why? Because they won’t keep their trunks up.”
“Scholastic Book Clubs is delighted to partner with Jay Leno and Simon & Schuster to encourage these aspiring young comedians,” said Ann Marie Resnick, Vice President, Marketing and Promotion,
Scholastic Book Clubs. “We congratulate the two lucky winners and we hope that this once in a lifetime experience will inspire them to continue to explore their funny side and keep improving their reading and writing skills.”
Jay Leno’s How to Be the Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World Contest coincided with the publication of Jay Leno’s second children’s book, “How to Be The Funniest Kid in the Whole Wide World (Or Just in Your Class)”, published October 1, 2005 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. The book is filled with “knock-knock” jokes, hilarious puns, wacky wordplay, and is essential to all kids looking to find what Leno calls their “funny.” In addition to jokes, Leno describes how he discovered his own “funny,” his first “professional” gig, what makes a good joke, how to build a routine, what to do when being heckled, how to combat stage fright¾not to mention sidebars full of information on other famous jokers and legendary acts, mini-routines, and words to live by. Leno will donate 100% of his profits from the sale of this book to Concerns for Police Survivors, Inc. (COPS), an organization that benefits surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
For 56 years, Scholastic Book Clubs have provided monthly catalogues offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in pre-school through high school. Today thirteen different Scholastic Book Clubs reach over one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site,
www.scholastic.com.
About Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, one of the leading children’s book publishers in the world, publishes award-winning and best-selling books for children of all ages. Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Online, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at
www.simonsays.com